


Tempered Flames

by SilyaBeeodess



Series: Tales of the Fire Spirits [6]
Category: A Hat in Time (Video Game)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:40:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22417102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilyaBeeodess/pseuds/SilyaBeeodess
Summary: Snatcher struggles to exercise an ounce of patience when both Hat Kid and a young fire spirit sneak into his home.
Series: Tales of the Fire Spirits [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1613302
Comments: 2
Kudos: 45





	Tempered Flames

The small fox batted its ears with its paw, staring at the largest tree in Subcon Forest. It was barely more than a spark, only just old enough to have scrambled away from its home of fire and smoke to explore the rest of the expansive woodlands nearby. The pup was one of the reborn from the previous season and, like the rest of its litter, had started to venture beyond the fire spirits' domain to feed both its wide-eyed curiosity and the steady, small flame flickering in its gut.

Few memories had resurfaced yet from its previous lifetimes, so the creature didn't have much beyond instinct to guide it along the way. Much to its detriment: It was a miracle that it made it safely across the wide vine the strung over the small 'moat' to reach the tree. It understood _feelings_ —like the discomforting wave of cold that resonated from the water beneath it—but it couldn't fully understand what they were or where they came from.

Take the warm essence that lingered within the tree, for instance. To the fire spirit, it felt like the heat of a low bonfire: Dim, wavering, but refusing to burn out, fighting to keep itself alive all while shielding those that kept close to its flames in a pleasant glow. There were risks to that kind of fire—if something new was thrown onto it, it could lash out in a chaotic eruption of sparks—but it was alluring too, especially amid the shroud of darkness that blanketed over the forest.

There was another feeling, one that was bold and sparkly, but it was too distant to make out beyond that. Too hidden by the dark miasma that wove throughout the woods to read.

The fire spirit continued to shuffle over to the tree, crawling through the gaping opening that shone like a wide, grinning-maw. The wooden flooring was different from the craggily grasses and other rough terrain it was used to maneuvering across, and it shook itself in relief under the orange light encased within, pausing for a moment to bathe in the more-than-welcomed brightness.

Distracted by its own short rest, the spirit didn't notice the Shadow towering above until it took a second glance around. Really, he was impossible to miss, his dark form a striking contrast from the amber shades that surrounded them. Not that he noticed the small intruder either, but the little thing had crept inside as silent as the grave and blended in almost perfectly with the walls and floor. And he had his own distraction, curled in a plush chair with a large book sprawled in front of him. Only the turn of a page broke the calm silence that hung in the air.

The pup didn't have a clue what kind of threat loomed over it simply by being there: All it knew was the baffling, warm feeling it felt coming from the figure. Intrigue won over caution and it scampered over to the side of the chair, where the figure's elongated, ghostly tail curved along the ground. Uncoordinated, it tripped over his tail, not bothering to get back up and looping its tiny arms around it instead.

* * *

A powerful magic combined with years spent materialized in the mortal plane had given the lost soul a strong, physical presence, enough so that he twitched at the contact. When it didn't go away, Snatcher dragged his tail along the floor as if he were trying to scratch an itch. And still it didn't leave! It was bothersome enough that at last he directed his attention away from his reading to glance down and find the miniscule form of a fire spirit clinging into him.

He frowned. The ones this young were hardly worth the trouble it took to get rid of them: They always left a mess of scorch marks and ashes behind. The real problem, however, was that he wasn't heartless enough to kill one—even if it was child's play to do it when they were this small. They had no mastery of the dangerous flames their elders could wield, because, at this stage, they usually had just enough of a fire in them to stay alive and not a bit more. If a fire spirit was killed this early on in their cycle though, that was that. There was no rebirth, no revival curtesy of any pons, no coming back, no kind of afterlife for them that he knew existed. Sometimes, he debated if that would be for the better, but for now he still couldn't commit to that sort of finishing blow.

Nevertheless, no matter the age, any member of their species could be just as annoying as any other. He didn't want them to start hanging around and more might follow suit if he wasn't firm. Closing the book with a loud bang, Snatcher set it down on the chair in his place as he rose. "Oh no you don't!" he barked, lifting his tail before him to harshly stare down at the creature, "Look, I'm not in the mood to scrape your ashes off of my perfectly good floor today, so go find somewhere else to get snuffed!"

Words were meaningless to the creature, but he had hoped he could scare it enough to make it run off. But it didn't: It just dangled from his tail with a twittering noise almost like a soft purr vibrating from its throat. As if it was laughing.

Mocking him…

With a swift flick of his tail, Snatcher sent the fire spirit flying out of his home and into the grass across the water. The light of its small body flickered at the landing, but soon enough the pup sprang back up with a confused look around. He snorted. If it knew what was good for it, the spirit wouldn't make the risky trip over to him a second time.

He settled back down in his seat, somehow actually _refreshed_ by the brief interruption. It felt good, asserting his reign over the forest, even against a tiny spirit like that. There weren't many things he could control when… _certain incidents_ , had taken place. More recent incidents hadn't fallen in his favor either, not since a strange, alien craft had entered their planet's orbit.

He was determined to try to carry on with business as usual. The cursed outhouse was gone, the well was fixed, and the fire spirits shouldn't create any more of their barriers until the time came to conduct their ritual dances once again. Even Vanessa was likely too busy stewing in a circle of ice pillars—furiously checking every in and out of her manor—to be a problem for him for some time. The ghost picked up his book once again. He'd earned a bit of a break.

"Hey! Hey, Snatcher!" a giggling voice broke through his thoughts, "Look what I found!"

_Peck…_

He didn't want to—he _really_ didn't… Nevertheless, a purple hat jumped within his line of vision, over the edge of the book as a familiar figure bobbed up and down on the balls of her feet to get his attention. He shifted the book in his grasp, inching it higher to block her from his sight. It didn't work for long: A tiny hand reached up and forced the text to lay flat in his lap before retreating to cradle something against her chest.

A thousand, angry quips were ready to fly from his tongue, but as vivid, aqua eyes stared up at him eagerly, his own gaze dropped to the glowing bundle in Hat Kid's arms. It was the fire spirit, nestled tightly against her with its legs dangling helplessly underneath it. He could've laughed, _See? That'll teach you._ He knew how prideful its kind was, down to the very core of their being. Like this though, the spirit may as well have just been some simpering puppy that she had found abandoned in a cardboard box on the side of the street.

However, the fox seemed to _cling_ to the child despite the embarrassing display, little, harmless claws fastened to the fabric of her sleeves with its arms pinned close to its own chest. Maybe it was just trying to keep itself from falling…

"It's so _teeny!_ " she squealed delight, snuggling her cheek against the top of the spirit's head, "Why's this one so small? Is it a baby?"

"Yep!" Snatcher flashed her a wide, fake grin, " _Hey now,_ you know what? That little guy reminds me of you!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! You're _both_ obnoxious, little pests!" Dropping the friendly charade, his scowl returned and he jerked his book in front of his face once again. "Now scram, kiddo. How many times do I have to say it? Shoo! Vamoose! Your presence is no longer needed— _or wanted_ —here! You've got your soul, you've got your Time Pieces, now _go!"_

It still infuriated him, that he was bested by a _child_ , outwitted enough for her to not only manage to survive his contracts, but also a battle with himself. She didn't even have her hats' abilities to save her and she fought on. If he had actually dragged the fight out, who knew what the outcome might've been—the dead couldn't physically tire, after all—but she was stubborn! Snatcher would've bet that if her body had given up, then surely her soul would've kept fighting.

And now she just wouldn't go away! He had tried everything: Scaring her, fighting her, throwing her a bone—and here she was! At this point, he was beginning to think he'd dodged a bullet by giving the girl her soul back!

"But you're supposed to be my BFF!" Pouting, Hat Kid stamped her foot on the ground in disappointment. Frankly, he couldn't fathom any reason _why_ a child would want to stick around his forest. If something there wasn't on fire or encased in ice, it was shrouded in a dark gloom. All kinds of dangers lurked in the shadows, licking their lips and just lying in wait for a morsel like her to fall into their jaws. Again, how she had survived this long was beyond him, but the fact that she _kept_ _coming back_ was a mystery beyond all rational thought. "We've got a contract!" she insisted, "Remember?"

"Any and all modifications to said Agreement after signing must be agreed upon by both parties at a later date with an additional agreement made to amend the first," he recited dismissively, "Review the 'Cancellation and Amendments' clause for more details."

There was no such clause, not on paper anyway. His contracts were so severe that they didn't need them and there was no way her childish scribbles would hold in a court room even if she had a case or if he was intimidated by the prospect. Really though, once glance told him that his every word was going over her head, just like before with the fire spirit.

They _were_ similar, now that he actually thought about it. Both annoyed him, both made a habit of getting into mischief, and both were curious creatures whose thoughts and behaviors were a mystery. She was just the sort of child they'd steal away: He knew that.

Then again, he wouldn't be surprised either if he stepped out of his house one day to learn that they had brought her back. There was such a thing as being too _similar,_ after all. Thought it was strange how he found that a part of himself was glad that the nearby fire spirit was too young to grasp any of their words, much less drag her to its domain.

It repulsed him. He would need to remedy that.

"If you won't leave the forest, then why don't you make yourself useful and toss that thing back in whatever firepit it belongs in?" Snatcher waved her away, "I'm busy."

Hat Kid huffed, stomped on the ground a second time, then began to march off. She paused at the opening, looking back sheepishly, "Where…?"

"If everything around you is on fire, you're heading in the right direction." It was all the information he could give her: Even after all this time, there wasn't a single person in Subcon who knew _exactly_ where the fire spirits lived. She was lucky, in that respect: That lack of knowledge would keep her from heading too deep into their territory.

At last, she left. Once she was well out of earshot, he sighed and reclined deeper into his chair. There had to be a way to get rid of the girl. She had to leave him alone eventually, right? To find the rest of her scattered Time Pieces. Snatcher tried to continue reading his book, but he had lost all concentration.

He _really_ needed a break…


End file.
